2020 is an unforgettable year for the whole world. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to societies everywhere. In Hong Kong, it began in late January and has not yet ended. At the time of writing, there are still dozens to over a hundred of confirmed cases every day. Many areas of the association’s development are also greatly affected. First of all, most training courses need to be postponed or changed to online format via ZOOM. Interns also suffered greatly as most internship groups have to be postponed or even cancelled. But there are still therapists doing excellent jobs. In this issue, we have Fion Chau (RHT) who shared her once-in-a-lifetime experience in leading therapeutic groups in these hard times. Also in Macau, due to the easing of the epidemic and the efforts of local colleagues, a number of HT activities, workshops and therapy groups can still be held.

Despite the pandemic, colleagues and members of the association are still passionate about connecting with and learning from each other. Between March and June, we and our long-time collaborator, St. James’ Settlement Continuing Education Centre, co-produced a series of YouTube videos titled Flourishing with Gardening – HT Treasure Box. In each episode, we invited a Registered Horticultural Therapist to demonstrate a simple yet interesting horticultural activity. The target audience are new students/members of HKATH and people interested in HT. Then in May, we held this year’s Annual General Meeting via ZOOM. However, the most novel and popular activity may be HT Treasure Box –My Top-Pick Plants Election held from August to September. Members of HKATH were invited to recommend plants of great potential in local HT activities. Later, members of the association voted to choose their Top Ten Recommendations, and the winners are shown on the cover of this newsletter. In August, we also launched a new book Flourish with Gardening: Horticultural Therapy and Elderly Services, co-written by me and fellow horticultural therapists. A lot of the writing efforts of this book is done under the shadow of the pandemic. We hoped that this book will enable more people appreciate the value and potential of horticultural therapy to the elderly. In November, we co-organized a Grass Head workshop which is an online activity about life and death education. Besides these online activities, the association successfully organized a few face-to-face programs, including two Festive Floral Arrangement for the Chinese New Year workshops in January,  the Communicating Skills with Autistic Children Seminar in October, and two Colorful Flowers and Leaves Pounding workshops in November.

n this issue, we have a new feature TEACHING & LEARNING, including essays by instructors and students/interns of HKATH, about lessons from plants, experiences of HT programs, and students’ reflections on their encounters with HT.

2021－the Year of the Ox is approaching. In Chinese tradition, the ox symbolizes diligence and persistence, while in the West it symbolizes strength and abundance. I wish you all great strength and abundance every day of the coming year, and keep hardworking and persistent to achieve your goals!